Cara Harveyhttps://apurposedrivenmom.com
Lifestyle, Success and Mindset CoachWed, 11 Sep 2019 14:09:12 +0000en-US
hourly
1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.3https://i2.wp.com/apurposedrivenmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/cropped-A-purpose-driven-mom-copy.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1Cara Harveyhttps://apurposedrivenmom.com
3232137347678Self Care Checklist for Momshttps://apurposedrivenmom.com/self-care-checklist-for-moms/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/self-care-checklist-for-moms/#respondSun, 15 Sep 2019 06:06:48 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=4837Self Care Checklist for Moms As a busy mom self care is so important. Sometimes we can forget to take time for ourselves and might need a checklist to remind us. There is nothing wrong with creating a chart to keep on track and rewarding ourselves as we take time for self care. Having […]

As a busy mom self care is so important. Sometimes we can forget to take time for ourselves and might need a checklist to remind us. There is nothing wrong with creating a chart to keep on track and rewarding ourselves as we take time for self care. Having a checklist can actually help keep you accountable to actually doing any form of self care each day.

How Self-Help Boosts the Health of Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

Do you remember Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live? He was a character that took the idea of self-help and made fun of it. Stuart would look in the mirror and tell himself he was special and smart and do other daily affirmations.

The most interesting thing about this skit is that even though they sought to make fun of the entire self-help movement, there was truth in what they did. The more you talk to yourself in a positive way, the more positive your life will become and the more successful you will become. It ís just a fact that positive people are often more successful than negative people. The reason is that positive people believe they deserve to be successful.

* No One Knows You Better Than Yourself – Also, no one is more judgmental to you than yourself. It is sad that the one person you can truly count on, turns on you and treats you worse than you would allow any other individual to treat you, isn’t it? But you can turn this around by taking hold of the idea of self-help and realizing that It is not just a comedy skit. It is real, and it can affect your entire being: mind, body and spirit.

* Believe in Self-Help – People who are interested in self-help are generally open-minded people who believe that they have some measure of control over what happens to them. That means that people who get help from self-help already believe that it is possible. They are willing to give the suggestions they learn a try, and due to that fact alone usually see success in their efforts.

* Self-Help Can Build Self-Confidence – When you feel confident in yourself, positive things begin to happen to your mind. If you previously thought you could not do something and due to reading a self-help book you went outside of your comfort zone and experienced success, it is likely that the self-confidence you developed will wash over into trying more new things. It can be like a snowball effect that more confidence builds more confidence.

* Self-Help Can Reduce Anxiety – When you realize that you are not helpless against your emotions and feelings, you will start to notice a big change. When you manage to overcome some of your social anxiety due to taking some of the actions you’ve read about in self-help books, then each step you take out of anxiety will get easier. This isn’t to say that you will never need medication for social anxiety, but you might realize from self-help that it is okay to take medication if you need it.

* Self-Help Can Be the Catalyst for Getting Healthy – Very few people are able to change their body through diet and exercise, because they don’t think that they can or they haven’t figured out a plan of action to do it. By reading self-help books and finding stories of others who have accomplished it, you start to realize it is possible and that you can do it too. Even if you only reach half your goal, you will still end up healthier than before self-help.

* Self-Help Makes It Normal to Be Spiritual – Today it can be hard to be spiritual due to how busy everyone is and how it feels like a dog-eat-dog world which is full of anything but love. But when you read self-help books and try to practice self-love and acceptance, you start realizing how much you need the spiritual food that love gives you. When you make it a priority, your life will become better.

While many people treat self-help like a joke, it is actually very effective in helping a lot of people make their lives better. People do not come away from a study of self-help in any area of life unchanged. Taking the time to learn is always going to be a good thing.

Self Care Printables

If you’re not sure where to get started with self care, check out this ultimate list of self care checklist for moms!

Self Care Cards Printable

I hope that these self care checklists, list of ideas, and self care tips help you on your journey to taking better care of yourself! If you need an extra layer of accountability, download this free self care challenge chart! This will give you great ideas to do for the next few weeks are you get started on your self care journey!

]]>https://apurposedrivenmom.com/self-care-checklist-for-moms/feed/04837Podcast 18: Cleaning Routines for Moms Who Hate Cleaninghttps://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast18/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast18/#respondThu, 12 Sep 2019 05:39:41 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=4774Purpose Driven Mom Podcast Episode 18: Cleaning Routines for Moms Who Hate Cleaning Raise your hand if you hate cleaning too? It’s taken me a while to really find a cleaning routine that works for my home and I am excited to try something new this fall! Today, I’ll be sharing with […]

Purpose Driven Mom Podcast

Episode 18: Cleaning Routines for Moms Who Hate Cleaning

Raise your hand if you hate cleaning too? It’s taken me a while to really find a cleaning routine that works for my home and I am excited to try something new this fall! Today, I’ll be sharing with you a simple routine perfect for the mom who hates cleaning!

Thank you to today’s sponsor: The Equipping Godly Woman Conference

Are you a Christian woman who wants a stronger faith BUT your life is full and busy, so you don’t always make time for your faith like you should?

And if anyone has a quick and easy tip to help you grow in faith, you’re all about it?

Does that sound like you?

Well, if so — I happen to have the PERFECT thing for you: The Equipping Godly Women Online Conference!

During this free online event, hosted by Equipping Godly Women, 13 well-known and influential speakers (myself included!) are going to be sharing their BEST tips and strategies to help YOU be ALL IN in faith and family.

It’s happening September 16-20th, 2019, BUT you want to make sure you grab your tickets before then so you can take full advantage of all the great sessions. (And there are a lot of them!)

Subscribe & Review in the Podcast

While you’re there, I’d love an appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review! These allow other purpose driven moms to find the show and help grow our community! Just click here to review, select ‘Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know your favorite part of the podcast! I’d love to feature you as our ‘Review of the Week’.

]]>https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast18/feed/04774Best Morning Routine for Weight Losshttps://apurposedrivenmom.com/morning-routine-for-weight-loss/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/morning-routine-for-weight-loss/#respondSun, 08 Sep 2019 04:15:09 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=4784Best Morning Routine for Weight Loss Having a morning routine that helps with weight loss isn’t as hard as it sounds. Exercising in the morning, having a good breakfast and starting your day on the right foot can help you make better choices throughout the day and support any healthy living or weight loss […]

Having a morning routine that helps with weight loss isn’t as hard as it sounds. Exercising in the morning, having a good breakfast and starting your day on the right foot can help you make better choices throughout the day and support any healthy living or weight loss efforts you have.

I’ve tried all types of exercise programs. I’ve worked out in the gym, I’ve done it at home and I’ve worked out outside.

I’ve also exercised at almost every time of day you can think of – before the kids wake up, with the kids, nap time, post dinner – you name it, I’ve tried it.

On top of experimenting with workouts and routines I’ve also tried out all types of eating plans, intermittent fasting, and every diet out there on the market.

There are a few things I’ve found during my journey these past 8 years – some that work and some that don’t.

The things that I have learned have ultimately helped me lose 70 pounds before i had my daughter, exercise and have two healthy pregnancies, and work to get my body healthy again post baby.

Benefits of exercising in the morning for weight loss

There have been times where I’ve had to workout at night before it was the only uninterrupted time I had.

I don’t love working out at night and for busy moms, I don’t always recommend it. Our evenings are the time we have to wind done, close out the day and get ready for tomorrow. Adding in a 60 minute workout that gets your heart going right before bed isn’t always the best idea. That being said, I’ve done it when it was my only option.

And as much as we might not want to hear it, exercising in the morning truly works for a bunch of reasons.

The earlier you get your movement in, the bigger metabolism jump you can have. If you workout first thing, your body will be burning those extra calories all day long.

Exercising in the morning also helps give you more energy throughout the day. In the beginning you might get stuck in that cycle though. You know the one, “I’m too tired to exercise but exercise gives me energy”

Your body needs time to adjust and I promise, if you give it just a few weeks soon you’ll start to see how much more energized you feel on the days you get your workout in right away.

Working out first thing in the morning also means you’re more likely to shower and get dressed which is always a mood boost. Even as a work at home mom, I make sure I get up and get dressed before I take the kids to school every day. It makes me more productive and feel better about myself.

Taking care of yourself by adding exercise into your morning routine is also just a great way to start the day. If you take time in the first few hours of waking to take care of you, you’re going to show up differently for your family and all that the day puts before you.

How to get up earlier

It can be hard though, to get up earlier so that you have time to exercise in your morning routine. Truthfully I don’t work out first thing – but I do it by 7am so that I can be showered and ready to go by 9 am.

My kids wake up between 5:00 – 6:00 am so to have quiet time, I need to be up around 4:30 am. Truthfully though, I am still a work in progress in this area! While many days I can get out of bed and moving before them, depending on how sleep was the night before, it can be tougher.

And you might be thinking that you’re not a morning person – I get you! I wasn’t either. I had to train my body to become one!

I used the habit stacking method to get my body used to getting up early and it can work for you too!

First, determine your end goal and what time you want to be getting up (if everything was ideal) and compare it to where you are now.

You’ll then need to do some simple math and figure out how long it might take you get to get to your goal. It is possible to change your morning wake up time within as little as one month!

Next you’re going to slowly start to wake up earlier – seriously, just 5-10 minute changes every few days. This allows you body to get used to getting up earlier and doesn’t feel as scary and daunting as attempting to wake up 2 hours before you do now.

For example, say now you wake up at 7am and you want to wake up at 5am. You know that you ned to make up the 2 hour gap and want to do it within a month. That means you have to wake up about 5 minutes earlier every other day to hit your goal.

So tomorrow, wake up at 6:55, two days later 6:50, two days later 6:45 and so on. You’ll do this until you hit that time you are aiming for. By telling yourself you only need 5 more minutes, you can get rid of excuses and take action!

Types of exercise for busy moms

There are lots of different exercises that you can do as a busy mom and they are simple to add into a morning routine.

You can choose to workout at the gym or at home. If you are working out at the gym, sleep in your clothes so that you can wake up and be out of the door before the kids wake up.

This doesn’t work in my house because my kids get up so early and my husband has to be out of the door at 6:30 so I couldn’t leave them with him. But if you have a spouse who goes into work later than that – this is a totally doable plan!

Predetermine what you’re going to do so that you aren’t wasting any time once you’re at the gym. Find a class or download a workout plan that puts you in a good mood and you won’t dread! If you are attempting to do a workout you don’t love, it’s going to be so much easier to hit snooze then get up! Find something fun and energizing like morning yoga or a dance class!

If you choose to workout at home, you have a ton of options too! This is what I do because I don’t have to worry about childcare or driving anywhere. I have days where I workout in my pajamas and look a mess but I don’t care because no one sees me.

I use Beachbody on Demand to stream my workouts and have for the past few years. I actually haven’t worked out in a gym in YEARS! I love working out at home and I found that there are workouts I can do with my kids around that encourage them to get involved.

I like to lift weights so I got a pair of speed weights to change the weight faster. We have this set here and have used them for years! I bring these into our playroom each morning and my kids watch their TV show and I get in 30-40 minutes of a workout. Since I use Beachbody on Demand it is easy for me to figure out what to do because each program has a schedule and I just follow it.

Fasted vs non faster cardio

When I started working out in the morning I worried about working out on an empty stomach. I typically was someone who had breakfast as soon as I woke up and worried I would get hungry or not have the energy to get through the workout.

I’ve since moved to following an intermittent fasting schedule where I eat my first meal at 10:00 am and last meal at 6:00 pm and now do a fasted workout.

I find that fasted workouts work better for me and my metabolism and weight loss. If you need to eat something pre workout, this is a great time for a small carbohydrate and protein combo. A small piece of whole grain toast with peanut butter should be enough to give you the energy to push through.

I also have times where I take a pre-workout when it’s been a long night and I’m extra tired. I like this fruit punch flavor of Energize. I tried the lemon and din’t love the taste as much but this fruit punch is delicious! I don’t get jittery like with some pre-workouts and it really gives me an extra push.

Whenever you decide to workout, know that it’s possible to create a good routine around it. I suggest doing in the mornings to take care of you first, but know that ANY movement is better than none! Make sure you PIN this post for motivation when you need it to get that morning routine and exercise done!

]]>https://apurposedrivenmom.com/morning-routine-for-weight-loss/feed/04784Podcast 17: Finding Time to Workout as a Busy Momhttps://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast17/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast17/#respondThu, 05 Sep 2019 05:13:38 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=4761Purpose Driven Mom Podcast Episode 17: How to Find time to Workout as a Busy Mom In today’s episode, I share my own health and wellness journey and how I lost 70 pounds and finally made working out a habit and lifestyle. No matter if you want to work out at home […]

Purpose Driven Mom Podcast

Episode 17: How to Find time to Workout as a Busy Mom

In today’s episode, I share my own health and wellness journey and how I lost 70 pounds and finally made working out a habit and lifestyle. No matter if you want to work out at home or at the gym, today we talk about how you can create a routine that works, even as a busy mom!

Thank you to today’s sponsor: The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle

Living a healthy life in our polluted, hectic world is tough. Why not make it a little easier with cutting-edge resources, created by women who understand the challenges and have found solutions to make life healthier? That’s exactly what the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle includes: 91 eBooks, eCourse, and printables to help you create a personalized wellness plan, focus on the areas of your health that you’re struggling with, and identify what you can do to improve. $37 for 6 days only

Subscribe & Review in the Podcast

While you’re there, I’d love an appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review! These allow other purpose driven moms to find the show and help grow our community! Just click here to review, select ‘Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know your favorite part of the podcast! I’d love to feature you as our ‘Review of the Week’.

]]>https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast17/feed/04761Podcast 16: Navigating Motherhood with Michelle from With the Huddlestonshttps://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast16/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast16/#commentsThu, 29 Aug 2019 05:00:02 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=4722Purpose Driven Mom Podcast Episode 16 Navigating Motherhood with Michelle from With the Huddelstons This week’s episode was an interview with Michelle from With the Huddlestons. Our plan was to talk about talk about back to school routines and instead we pivoted to talk all things motherhood – from routines to self care […]

Episode 16

Navigating Motherhood with Michelle from With the Huddelstons

This week’s episode was an interview with Michelle from With the Huddlestons. Our plan was to talk about talk about back to school routines and instead we pivoted to talk all things motherhood – from routines to self care and more!

As a wife, homeschooling mama of 4, and multi-passionate entrepreneur, it’s no question that Michelle Huddleston wears many hats. Through her passion to create powerful movements in the home education and work-from-home fields, Michelle speaks professionally (locally and abroad), has self-published more than 8 books (2 Amazon best-sellers), and has co-founded one of the fastest growing online schools that provides supplemental and elective courses (Huddleston Academy Live Academics).

Subscribe & Review in the Podcast

While you’re there, I’d love an appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review! These allow other purpose driven moms to find the show and help grow our community! Just click here to review, select ‘Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know your favorite part of the podcast! I’d love to feature you as our ‘Review of the Week’.

]]>https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast16/feed/14722Tips for Transitioning Children from Summer to Schoolhttps://apurposedrivenmom.com/transition-summer-to-school/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/transition-summer-to-school/#respondWed, 28 Aug 2019 18:32:15 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=4752Tips for Transitioning Children from Summer to School Transitioning from summer to school can be emotional, both for parents and kids. With school right around the corner, dealing with unstructured, lazy, and free days of summer is always hard. It’s safe to say that transition is always met with resistance. Falling back into […]

Transitioning from summer to school can be emotional, both for parents and kids. With school right around the corner, dealing with unstructured, lazy, and free days of summer is always hard. It’s safe to say that transition is always met with resistance.

Falling back into the wave of waking up early, getting to bed on time, preparing meals, and retraining body and mind to a regular school routine might take a toll on you. But don’t worry. The tips below will help you sail through back-to-school routine, effortlessly.

6 Tips for Back-To-School Transitioning

Adjust Bedtime

During the summer, children tend to stay up late and rise later than usual. Adjusting bedtime one week before going back to school will help the kids click into the routine.

According tothe National Sleep Foundation, there are set hours ideal for every age. For instance, preschoolers – aged between 3 and 5- should sleep for around 10 hours, and school-age children should sleep for at least 9 hours. This schedule will help you set sleeping hours.

As you adjust bedtime hours, you should also consider the activities before bed like coloring, stories, bathing, and doing a puzzle. These are less-sensory tasks that allow the body of your child to wind down slowly. With a comprehensive sleep schedule, you will be a proud mom who raises great sleepers.

Develop a Game Plan

You will be surprised that kids know what they want or even how they want things done. Discuss with them about goals, failures of the previous school season, and the necessary adjustments to make. Ask about the skills to be improved and the triumphs of the year before.

The goals might include;

Improving on grades

Making new friends

Change of diet

Becoming the captain of the swimming team

Such a discussion will help the child feel focused before getting back to school. It alleviates confusion, anxiety, and unpreparedness. Involving your child on the game plan also makes him/her feel responsible for the decisions made.

Summon the Learning Spirit

Going back to school is not always exciting- probably you can relate to this. Being away from fun activities or parting ways with new friends might be annoying for your child. But you can rekindle the school spirit again by minimizing screen time and engaging in fun activities.

You can assign creative homework or ask them to start coloring once again. Start about two weeks before school. Ask the child to list characteristics of the animals in the park or name the types of snakes in the jungle. If you’re on vacation, you can assign the child to list down the main activities on the beach.

Jog the mind of your child by asking the furthest you went from home during summer or the hours you were on board. You can also ask him to write a short story about their summer experiences.

Furthermore, you can engage in brain-bending activities like word searches, crossword puzzles, and trivia. This is to keep your child motivated, encouraged, and focused on getting back to school.

Prepare the Night Before

One of the best ways ofsimplifying your morning routine is by preparing the night before. Rushing around in the wee hours trying to get the school outfit from the closet or packing backpacks can create anxiety.

If you’re a working mom, spare like an hour the night before and prepare for the next day. Choose the following day outfits- both yours and for the kids. Prepare breakfast and lunch. Also, hang the backpacks at a strategic place where kids will find them easily.

Additionally, select a place where you keep car keys and phone to ensure you don’t run around in the morning looking for them. Check homework, bathe kids, and fill water bottles to ease the morning rush.

Set an Early Alarm

Morning rush creates a stressful environment for both adults and kids. The best thing to do is to set the alarm for an extra 30 minutes early to give your family ample time to prepare, take breakfast, and get ready to tackle the day stress-free.

In case of an unexpected scenario like spilled cereal or leaking water bottle, the extra minutes will enable you to handle these events. Being this organized will help you handle any situation without creating a chaotic environment.

Tackle School Anxiety

Most children get disappointed once the summer is over. And to some kids, the anxiety can be extreme. For instance, children entering new schools might feel relaxed if they can walk around the new school and learn where things are before joining school. Talk and discuss the issues that could make your child nervous.

Final Note

Getting back to school doesn’t need to be stressful and chaotic. With these tips, diving back to a school routine will be painless for everyone.

]]>https://apurposedrivenmom.com/transition-summer-to-school/feed/04752Podcast Episode 15 – How to Save Money on Back to School Clotheshttps://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast15/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast15/#respondThu, 22 Aug 2019 04:05:59 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=4535Purpose Driven Mom Podcast Episode 15 How to Save Money on Back to School Clothes Whether you’ve done your back to school shopping or not – today’s episode will give you a ton of tips on how to save on back to school clothes! Today, I’ll share how to get the best […]

Episode 15

How to Save Money on Back to School Clothes

Whether you’ve done your back to school shopping or not – today’s episode will give you a ton of tips on how to save on back to school clothes! Today, I’ll share how to get the best deals, what your kids need for back to school and how to save the money money on kid’s clothes!

Subscribe & Review in the Podcast

While you’re there, I’d love an appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review! These allow other purpose driven moms to find the show and help grow our community! Just click here to review, select ‘Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know your favorite part of the podcast! I’d love to feature you as our ‘Review of the Week’.

]]>https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast15/feed/04535Time Management for Working Momshttps://apurposedrivenmom.com/time-management-for-working-moms/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/time-management-for-working-moms/#respondMon, 19 Aug 2019 07:15:25 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=4575Time Management for Working Moms , As a working mom you need to have good time management. You have a million things to juggle, a busy schedule, and need to prioritize tasks for your family, yourself, your home and work. I have been a work at home mom for 4 years now and I […]

As a working mom you need to have good time management. You have a million things to juggle, a busy schedule, and need to prioritize tasks for your family, yourself, your home and work.

I have been a work at home mom for 4 years now and I can tell you, it isn’t easy. I often get distracted with home tasks, have to cut work short because of something, and can feel pulled in a million pieces.

But you don’t have to feel frazzled all the time. It is possible to have good time management as a working mom!

Whether you need help with your morning routine, balancing work and home or easy systems to make your life run smoother, know that it’s possible!

]]>https://apurposedrivenmom.com/time-management-for-working-moms/feed/04575Podcast Episode 14 – Sensory Activities at Home with Kids {Interview with Myriam from Mother Could}https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast14/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast14/#commentsThu, 15 Aug 2019 07:13:09 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=4533Purpose Driven Mom Podcast Episode 14 Sensory Activities at Home with Kids {Interview with Myriam from Mother Could} Today’s episode was a great and informative interview with Myriam from the page Mother Could! Myriam started her instagram account to share what she was doing in her home and now reaches almost 100K women […]

Episode 14

Sensory Activities at Home with Kids {Interview with Myriam from Mother Could}

Today’s episode was a great and informative interview with Myriam from the page Mother Could! Myriam started her instagram account to share what she was doing in her home and now reaches almost 100K women who are looking for tips on activities and play to do at home!

Episode Show Notes

1:55 Meet Myriam from MotherCould

12:33 What does sensory play actually look like?

19:47 Mentally preparing for doing activities at home without overwhelm

26:18 The benefits of sensory play at home

28:14 Storage tips for sensory activities

34:53 Safety and Mess Tips for sensory play

39:50 Time Management Strategies for balancing a passion project with motherhood

Subscribe & Review in the Podcast

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, make sure you head over and do it now so that you don’t miss an episode!

While you’re there, I’d love an appreciate if you’d leave a rating and review! These allow other purpose driven moms to find the show and help grow our community! Just click here to review, select ‘Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know your favorite part of the podcast! I’d love to feature you as our ‘Review of the Week’.

]]>https://apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast14/feed/145335 Must Have Travel Trips for Kidshttps://apurposedrivenmom.com/travel-tips-for-kids/
https://apurposedrivenmom.com/travel-tips-for-kids/#respondMon, 12 Aug 2019 07:53:25 +0000https://apurposedrivenmom.com/?p=45765 Must Have Travel Trips for Kids Looking for travel tips for your kids? It doesn’t have to be impossible to enjoy vacation and travel with your kids. By following some simple tips and routines you can have a fun trip and travel with your kids with less stress. I’m in kind of […]

Looking for travel tips for your kids? It doesn’t have to be impossible to enjoy vacation and travel with your kids. By following some simple tips and routines you can have a fun trip and travel with your kids with less stress.

I’m in kind of a brain fog right now since we got back from vacation last night but I don’t regret any of it – the late nights, the way too many carbs and the lack of routine were completely worth it! We had such an amazing time, just a few hiccups, and I learned some things I wanted to pass on to you!

See the thing is, we haven’t been on vacation for 2 years. After my husband was out of work for 7 months, it’s been an uphill battle to get in control of our finances again and even have space in the budget for much fun. Don’t get me wrong – I’m super happy and my life is full of joy but honestly, we don’t have much ‘fun’.

I wanted this vacation to be one that we’d all remember, with limited stress and just a great time for all of us! Luckily, it completely exceeded our expectations and we’re home now – tired and beat – but so happy and grateful for our time together!

If you haven’t gone on vacation yet this summer (or want to think ahead for next year), I wanted to share some of the things I did to help it go smoothly AND some places that I wish I had planned better!

How to Travel with Kids

How to Set a Budget for Vacation

Since we don’t have credit cards, everything we do has to come from our income and needs to be budgeted for. When planning this vacation, we did our best in advance to find places we could save money and get deals so that it wasn’t super expensive.

Sometimes when you go on vacation, you just want to have fun and don’t think about spending until you get the bill later. By pre creating a budget, you can still have fun but make choices that don’t leave you feeling regretful later on.

Ways to save money for vacation:

– Bringing snacks on trips with kids:

This was a HUGE one. I bought snacks from Aldi and put them in small ziplock bags before we left (because we all know what happens if you just open a bag of chips right?). When we stopped as rest stops there was no need for any impulse buys and we had snacks for the hotel room or late nights as well. I shared all that we brought on my Instagram – just click the highlight for Travel Tips!

-Staying at a hotel with a continental breakfast:

With a family of 5 I will do my best to stay places with free breakfast. Since my kids get up so early (yes, even on vacation) we were able to eat breakfast at 7am and stop for their snack at 10am before breakfast closed!

We only had to eat out for 4 meals the entire trip (breakfast was free and so were 2 of our meals with the family reunion) so when we did eat out I tried to order things we can share. I never get my kids their own meal – the littlest get a kids meal and an extra plate!

They are food wasters and I knew I’d be so annoyed if they did it when I spent money on food so I was smart about this when we were out. One night we did spend more to eat at a seafood buffet but found one where kids under 4 eat for free! This helped offset the cost since this was a more expensive meal.

-Using coupons to make travel cheap and affordable

On our drive back we stopped in Ocean City, Maryland and hit up the amusement park and rides. Our hotel had a discount for tickets so we got unlimited rides for only $18 per kid. At first I did NOT want to pay this because it just seemed so expensive but it was $10 cheaper than tickets at the park and the kids went on almost everything! Seeing Arianna go on rides by herself and literally go on everything in her size made it worth it!

Routines and Systems for Traveling with Kids

I tried my best to be ‘flexible Cara” while we were away which honestly is super tough for me. I’m super type A and love my routines a LOT. But because we have good systems and routines at home, I found many of them transferred over to our trip.

-Nap and Bedtime Routines for Kids:

I was VERY flexible when it came to sleep on this trip. When you have older kids and younger kids it is much more challenging to lock down at 7pm for bedtime while you’re away so my kids were up until 10-11pm most night (and one night until midnight!)

This was something I never thought I’d be willing to do but, when it came time for bed my kids knew what to do. They grabbed their pajamas, read their book, said prayers and went right to bed. It was awesome to see our home routines transfer over on vacation. (If you need help creating an evening routine, check out this blog post on how to create a bedtime routine for your kids!)

-Cleaning Up Routines:

We started a hamper (garbage bag) for laundry as soon as we got there. I had the kids unpack their things so they could pick out their clothes and we could see what they had left to wear. My daughter was so used to putting her clothes away that she asked right away where the hamper was! This helped when we got home because I was able to just drop the clothes into the laundry machine and get them done as soon got home)

– Tips for traveling in the car with kids

Right away we made a trash bag and every time we stopped we would pick up any trash so that a big mess didn’t catch up to us. This made it a lot easier to unpack the car at the end of the trip! Speaking of the car, we had Arianna in a pull up for the entire 6 hour drive. Even though she is potty trained, we wanted one just in case.

We did bring her portable potty and stopped about 4x on the side of the road but I think she got nervous with all of the cars and never actually used it! We only had one accident the entire trip (and that was on the beach when she pooped in her swim suit! mommy had a fun time running back to the hotel to clean that mess up hahaha)

What I want to remember next time:

My phone was having issues the entire trip (seriously, just my phone!) where I couldn’t get my social media to load. I was irritated at first – I mean I had 6 hours in the car and couldn’t mindlessly scroll! But it was such a blessing in disguise. I was able to be super present, I barely was on my phone, and just connected with my family, God, and myself. Not having my phone gave me time to think but it also meant I forgot to take pictures!

I got about a dozen pictures total and with all that family sent me, have a great record of our trip.

But one thing was missing.

Pictures with me and my kids.

Most of the pictures I have are selfies of me and the kids and I barely have any pictures with them. I have a bunch that I have taken with my husband and the kids but it’s rare anyone takes my picture. And I’m not mad about it but it reminds me that I just need to be more intentional. Before the trip I should remind my husband to take more ‘in the moment’ pictures or just ask more often when I think “oh this would be a cute picture”.

This was the only picture I have with me and Isaiah that my hubby took –

While the rest of my family loved vacation , Zay was pretty miserable. His molars are coming in and with the lack of his normal nap he was cranky. I don’t think I ate one meal without him on my lap, throwing food at me, or putting food on my face. Hubby snapped this picture at our last night at dinner when he had just covered me in ketchup while he tried to give me some fries.

On the next trip, I want to make sure we get more shots and more memories and it’s just not me taking them!

All in all it was a great trip and I came back refreshed, thankful and so grateful for this amazing family and life God has blessed me with!

Since we haven’t been on vacation in a while, I did a lot of reading and learning and checking out tips online so that we could really enjoy vacation! Most of my tips came from this Super Travel Bundle! It’s got resources, courses, printables and a ton more tips that can help you with your travel needs! One of our goals is to be debt free in the next 7 years and buy an RV, homeschool the kids and travel for the year! There are so many resources that I can’t wait to plug into when we’re at that planning stage! Check it out here!